Another Round Of Snow Moving Into Vermont After Overnight Dump

Snow covered roads around Interstate 89 Exit 14 in 
Burlington in this web cam grab from around 8:15 this
morning. Roads and highways should keep looking
like this all day as at least light snow should keep
falling amid continued cold temperatures. 

 As expected, our fluffy, cold snowstorm from yesterday and last petered out before dawn today, but more snow was moving in, especially in central and northern Vermont. 

The most snow I've seen in Vermont so far is 14.5 inches in Woodbury. Generally, most places so far are in the 6 to 12 inch range so far.

At this point I'm guessing snow totals will come in a somewhat less than the 12 to 24 inches that had been expected south, and pretty close to or just a little below the 10 to 16 inch storm total that we thought we'd get in the north.  

The National Weather Service in South Burlington said part of the problem was it was almost too cold for a decent snowfall.  Especially in the early part of the storm, while temperatures were near 0 or just above that level, the snow came as tiny crystals instead of nice, big snowflakes. 

You probably noticed how itty bitty the flakes were in many areas yesterday afternoon and evening.  That kind of snow does't accumulate fast. In northern Vermont, the clouds also weren't quite as packed with moisture as they could have been. So they yielded a bit less snow. 

Also, the period when snow tapered off and the time it is beginning again widened some, which is also cutting down the totals a bit. Those three factors cut down a snow totals a little 

It looks like Vermont was just north of the really heavy stuff. I see widespread 18 inch totals in central and eastern Massachusetts, in northern Connecticut and New York's Catskill region. 

Still, all of Vermont ended up with a decent snowstorm, so we can't complain too much about that. 

I noticed when I went out this morning the snow - again as expected - is light and feathery. I'm so glad it's not the wet cement we've had so often in recent winters. But it's still cold out. Temperatures were still only in the single numbers this morning and will only rise to the teens this afternoon.

The cold takes more out of you when you're shoveling, especially if you're older. So you want to take care while clearing the snow. Or borrow an athletic teenager to do the work. School is canceled due to the weather in many if not most places today in and around Vermont. So it might be easy to find some labor. 

As you might have guessed, pretty much all the roads in Vermont are snow covered, so they are slippery. Sure, it stopped snowing for awhile in many places. But it's way too cold for salt to work, and we have a road salt shortage to deal with. 

So whoever is driving Clearopathra and all the other wonderfully named Vermont snowplows isn't exactly spraying road salt all over the place. 

REST OT TODAY

Forecast for additional snow today. Another two to six inches
with two most in northwest Vermont and along the 
spine of the Green Mountains. 

As of 8 a.m., it was starting to snow again here in St. Albans. The snowflakes are bigger than those tiny crystals and needles from yesterday, so it will accumulate nicely. Especially since the snow will continue to be light and fluffy. 

Radar imagery at around 8 a.m. showed snow both pressing in from New York, and blossoming on its own in the Champlain Valley. 

So I think the early morning break in the snow is pretty much over. The snow will spread into the rest of Vermont during the morning. It'll probably be lighter south of Route 4. 

The snow should shut off pretty quickly this evening once the last piece of this complex storm says bye-bye and heads on off to the east. 

Another two to four inches is likely in southern Vermont today with there to five inches north. The five inch amounts will mostly be in the northern Champlain Valley and central and northern Green Mountains.  

REST OF THE WEEK

It'll be a cold one all the way through the week. 

Daily daytime highs today through Saturday at least will be in the teens. Lows will be near or below zero. Fresh snowfall tends to make the bottom drop out of the thermometers at night. If we get a clear night, a lot of us will get into the teens below zero. Some places might get into the 20s below if one of those clear nights happen.

We will have little if any new snow during the week. A few lame disturbances might throw a few snowflakes at us, but that's about it. Maybe the northern Green Mountains will catch a couple additional inches of snow after today. 

But at least we have enough powder now to play in, right?

Almost all signs point toward continued cold weather into mid-February and quite possibly beyond that. 

The next shot at a storm would be next Monday as some computer models are hinting at a nor'easter. But most of the models that do develop such a storm keep it too far east of Vermont to give us much of anything. But we've been surprised before. Sometimes the models change their minds and bring the storm a little closer to the coast. As always we'll keep an eye on it. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: We haven't done an update yet today on the much worse weather elsewhere in the U.S. this morning. That will come in a post later today. 

More Vermont Summer Flood Updates As Recovery Continues

Floodwater beginning to recede in Hinesburg, Vermont
on July 11 after causing a lot of damage. Recovery from
the summer floods continues, with a variety of updates
coming in as we move on from the disasters. 

 Now that we're leaving our hot, humid, awful flood-wracked Vermont summer, there's always a few updates to the stories of the disasters, so here's just a few. 

Lyndonville Bridge

The Sanborn Covered Bridge will return to its perch over the Passumpsic River in Lyndonville after all.

The bridge had been removed from its spot over the river for restoration. There was never any question of whether the bridge would be restored. But would it need to give up its function as a river crossing?

The Lyndon area and the Passumpsic River have flooded with increasing frequency and severity in recent years, thanks in large part to climate change. People in the region are looking for ways to mitigate these floods.

The Sanborn covered bridge and its abutments are a pinch point in the Passumpsic River, possibly worsening floods upstream. So the question was whether the bridge should go back up where it has been so long. 

As WCAX reports, after feedback from Lyndon residents, the bridge will be placed back over the river this fall. However, adjustments will be made to its abutments to allow water to pass through more easily. 

Tourism Steady

Despite the international headlines regarding Vermont's floods this summer, the all-important tourism traffic  to Vermont seemed to be steady, WCAX also reports. Their article didn't have much in the way of numbers, revenue and that kind of thing. Mostly, I believe because it's too soon to tally things like sales tax and rooms and meals tax revenue for the summer. 

Bookings for the fall foliage tourism season in Vermont seem to be running a little ahead of last year, too. 

Still, as reported earlier this summer, not everyone is doing well after the flooding. Nearly 350 Vermont businesses have already reported flood damage.  And businesses in some of the hardest hit communities like Lyndonville, East Burke, Plainfield and Barre are still struggling. 

Snowmobile Trails In Rough Shape

Vermont has about 5,000 miles of snowmobile trails, and those are an important part of the state's winter tourism. As WPTZ reports, so far, there's at least $1 million in damage to the trails and that damage is scattered over wide areas. 

Getting things fixed in time for winter will be complicated. As WPTZ says:

"The trails that span near 5,000 miles across the state are split between locally owned land, state land and private property, which makes it harder to qualify for flood help."

Still, the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, which maintains the trails, say volunteers are helping fix the damage and the trails should largely be in good shape this winter. 

If it snows for a change.  

Humidity, Rain Contribute To Late Schools

Some schools in Vermont have delayed openings this fall because of hazardous mold. The problem is a combination of outdated HVAC systems and an especially humid summer that contributed to moisture in school buildings, and resulting mold. 

By some meteorologists' estimates, this has been the most humid summer on record in Vermont. All that lingering moisture has created mold issues in schools like Otter Valley High School, Milton Elementary, and Moretown Elementary. 

Moretown Elementary was damaged by flooding last December. 

"We are seeing a lot of flooding, a lot of rain, a lot of moisture and similar to our roads and infrastructure, our schools are not ready, they're not prepared for these kinds of changes," Sen. Brian Campion, the chair of the Vermont Senate Education Committee told WPTZ. 

Some FEMA Aid Delayed

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is once again out of cash, and that will delay some assistance to Vermont towns and cities that suffered damage this summer, Vermont Public reports. 

Individual homeowners and renters in seven Vermont counties can still get funds from FEMA.  More than 500 people have applied.

But as Vermont Public tells us, FEMA is technically out of cash, so they can't pay local and state governments to fix roads, bridges and other infrastructure. 

That money should come through eventually, but Congress has to pass a budget first. Good luck with that, as the U.S. Senate and especially House can't seem to get anything done these days.  

Vermont Heat Update: It Intensifies Today And Tomorrow, Peaks Wednesday

The hibiscus on our back deck is certainly welcoming the
hot, humid weather with lots of new blooms, even if
I can't quite muster as much enthusiasm for the hot spell.

 The temperature got up to 84 degrees on Sunday in Burlington, Vermont, which actually isn't all that remarkable for early September. 

What is remarkable is that it was the hottest temperature since July 28.   As mentioned in a previous post, we had the coolest high August maximum high temperature since 1927.

We're more than making up for it this week.  It should get into the low 90s on many valley floors sometime this week. There's even a shot at an "official" heat wave in Burlington, which is three consecutive days of 90 plus temperatures. 

That's a pretty arbitrary definition of a heat wave, but it is what it is. 

Anyway, it's going to be an uncomfortable week. 

A heat advisory is in effect today in the Champlain Valley. That the heat index, which takes into consideration actual temperatures combined with humidity, could make it feel as hot as 95 degrees. 

Today won't even be the hottest of this toasty stretch. I doubt many places will make it to 90 today. There's a better chance of it getting past 90 degrees tomorrow and the day after. I'm pretty sure the National Weather Service will also issue heat advisories Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday as well. 

With the humidity in place, nights won't cool off very much either. Dawn this morning wasn't too terrible, as it had gotten into the low 60s.  The next few nights will only go down to 70 or so in the warmer valleys, so we won't be able to recover from the day's heat so well going forward.

A heat wave gets dangerous cumulatively. The longer it stays hot, the more a person's body is stressed. People who are vulnerable to heat, especially those who already have underlying health issues, need to be careful.

If you know an elderly or person with health issues, check up on them this week.  If their house is hot, consider taking them out on an air conditioned trip if they're up for it. Meanwhile, everyone should stay hydrated.

If you need to do strenuous work, try to do it early in the morning when it's a bit cooler.

As mentioned yesterday, we'll have to watch the schools, too, since most aren't geared up for heat waves.  Traditionally, we didn't often have heat waves during the school season, but that seems to be changing. 

The heat dome over us should begin to break down Thursday, but it will be a slow process. Thursday will continue to be humid and very warm.  Whether it gets to 90 degrees or not then depends on the timing of any clouds and showers that work their way in. 

Longer range forecasts call for a sluggish weather pattern, with things not moving west to east as quickly as they should. 

With all the humidity lingering, that could set us up for - UGH! more heavy rain toward the end of the week. 

The good news is the flood risk is diminished some because for the first time since early June, we will have had a week or so of dry weather. So the soils will be able to absorb a little more rain water than they did in July and August.

Still, we'll have to watch later in the week in case enough rain does fall to cause local flood issues. We have a lot of time to monitor that. 

At least we won't have any tropical storms or hurricanes in the mix to make any late week rain worse. The Atlantic Ocean remains abuzz with tropical storms and wannabe hurricanes, but I don't see any real threat to the United States coasts for at least a week.  

Meanwhile, very long range forecasts have shifted.

Those predictions reaching into mid month had been indicating continued warmer than normal temperatures past September 15. Now, those forecasts hint at cooler than normal weather toward the middle of the month.

That's no guarantee, since forecasts that far out aren't necessarily accurate. But if it pans out, it will be a shock to the system again. Cooler than normal weather in mid-September is much different that slightly chillier than normal air in mid-summer.

If it gets cool in mid-September, you'll know for sure it's autumn. For now though, enjoy or endure a very, very belated summer heat wave

Vermont Snow Forecast Mostly On Track, But Bust Potential In Valleys

The National Weather Service snow forecast map, updated
early this morning, isn't changed much since yesterday,
but there is a bust potential on projected accumulations
in some of the warmer valleys.

UPDATE 1:30 PM FRIDAY

So far, this is, kind of as expected turning  into a tale of two very different storms in Vermont.

West of the Green Mountains, especially in the valleys, it's just been light snow, mixed with a little rain at times. Much of the snow is melting as it hits.'

Road conditions aren't bad in western Vermont at all.

Meanwhile, at most of the higher elevations, say above 900 feet or so, this is a bonafide, strong snowstorm.

This is especially true on the east slopes of the Green Mountains. 

So far, 8.5 inches have been reported at Rochester, 7.5 inches in Sharon and 7 inches at White River Junction.

State highway web cams show some pretty lousy road conditions in these areas. The snow, again as expected, is wet and heavy, so power issues are increasing. It looks like about 2,000 customers, mostly in southeastern Vermont, were without power as of 1:30 p.m. That number was increasing.

Things will probably get worse as we go through the afternoon and evening. The wet snow will continue in the mid and higher elevations, which will further strain power lines.  There are still signs that snowfall will increase in the lower elevations of western Vermont as we head further into the afternoon and evening

That means the snow will accumulate even there. Road conditions would deteriorate as this happens.  If enough wet snow falls by tonight, there could be some power outage issues in western Vermont as well.

I'll do a full update late this afternoon or very early this evening

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION 

Before dawn broke this morning, the previous forecast for our long awaited snowstorm is more or less the same as those issued yesterday, but I also noticed some hemming and hawing with this forecast, especially in Vermont's valleys.  

I'm seeing the potential for a bust forecast in some of the warmer valleys. Don't give up on the snow yet! 

But there are factors that MIGHT limit accumulations. This will still be a nice high elevation dump, though. 

A winter storm warning remains in effect statewide in Vermont. Even in the off chance this storm is slightly weaker than forecast - and don't count on that - we still have bad roads and the risk of power outages. 

THIS IFFY MORNING

The first issue I see is that first thump of snow coming through this morning. For one thing, it's running later than advertised. It didn't start snowing here in St. Albans until around 5:30 p.m. and hasn't come down that hard yet. It started in Burlington a little after 4:30 a.m.

The second bigger problem is, as I suspected might happen, it is a little warmer than many forecasts indicated. It was 38 degrees at 4 a.m. in Burlington, just before the snow started. Other valley locations were also several degrees above freezing at the onset of snow.

That means some of this started as light rain. The precipitation is cooling the air, so it does quickly change over to snow as this moves northward. But since it's at least starting out above freezing, this initial thump won't accumulate as much as previously thought in the valleys.

Roads are still getting dicey, so this morning's commute will not be a picnic by any stretch of the imagination. As the snow began, the roads were mostly just wet. But as the snow picked up from south to north, I noticed on Vermont traffic cams that in some cases, the wet roads turned at least slushy.    Road crews are out, but if you must drive this morning, go slow and cautiously. 

Chances are you won't have to take your kids to school. The growing list of school closings in Vermont and surrounding areas is quite long. 

Meanwhile, in mid and high elevations, this first thump of snow is completely on track with forecasts so far. It was snowing hard in the somewhat higher spots in southern and central Vermont and that was steadily spreading north as of 6 a.m. 

AFTERNOON THAW?

We're still looking at a midday and afternoon lull in the precipitation, especially in the valleys and even more so west of the Green Mountains and parts of the Northeast Kingdom.

I the warmer valleys, like the Champlain, lower Connecticut and the Route 7 corridor from Brandon to Bennington, I see a bit of a thaw setting in, with temperatures even a little warmer than originally forecast.  A few spots could flirt with 40 degrees.

Meanwhile, the high elevations will continue to get their snow as very wet air from the Atlantic Ocean continues to blast in from the east.  That wet air will be forced to rise along the eastern slopes of the Greens. That will keep the snow cranking up there, especially in southern and central Vermont. 

This leads us to the second bust potential with this storm. 

OVERNIGHT QUESTIONS

The projected path of this storm through eastern New England is, on paper, a perfect set up for a good thump of snow at least somewhere in Vermont. 

So far just a light dusting of wet snow in St. Albans
as of 7:15 a.m. We'll see how this plays out between
now and Saturday

Usually, a band of moderate to heavy snow sets up a fair distance to the northwest of a nor'easter like this.  In this case, it would mean somewhere over Vermont.

If the forecast holds, that would mean several hours of steady, sometimes even heavy snow overnight in much of the state. That would be the bulk of this long lasting storm.

However, there's a chance this expected area of snow could be further east in New Hampshire. If that happens, snow totals from this storm will be a lot less than forecast.

If it's snowing in the valleys Saturday, it will taper off during the day into patchy light snow and snow showers. The flakes should keep flying in the mountains, especially from Killington north possibly into Sunday.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Accumulations: 

Total accumulations through Saturday afternoon look to be at about four to 10 inches in lower elevations. There could be huge differences in snow depth over short distances. Totals might be as little as two or three inches right along the immediate shore of Lake Champlain, and several inches deeper just a handful of miles inland. 

The mid and high elevations are still in for a decent dump.  I would say most towns at or above 900 feet are in for at least eight inches of snow, unless that overnight burst tonight ends up being a total bust. Some places could get over a foot.

The mountains should still do pretty well, with at least a foot at the ski resorts. A few places could reach two feet up there.

Road Conditions

The conditions were going downhill as of 7 a.m. today.  In general, low elevation roads aren't quite as bad as first predicted, but watch that slush and thin layer of wet snow on some of the main roads. It's deceptively slick.  Higher elevation roads this morning are snow covered and slippery.

Mid and high elevation roads should remain challenging all day.  In low elevations, if you must get out on the roads, do it at midday and early afternoon. Main roads should mostly be just wet as a bit of a thaw sets in between the bursts of snow this morning and an expected one tonight. 

If that long period of snow comes in tonight as expected, road conditions statewide would deteriorate this evening and remain tricky into Saturday morning.

Power Outages

Power interruptions are still definitely possible, as the snow is wet and heavy.  This issue could happen anywhere in Vermont between now and Saturday afternoon. The best chances of power outages would probably be at mid-elevations in southern and central Vermont, especially along the east slopes of the Green Mountains. 

As of 7 a.m., there weren't any outages to speak of yet in Vermont, but some were cropping up across the pond in New York. 

Outlook:

It'll stay relatively mild through Monday with valley highs getting into the low 30s. Snow showers will continue, especially in the mountains, with additional bits of accumulation to keep the ski slopes fresh.

It'll start turning sharply colder around Tuesday. And we'll need to start thinking about another nor'easter that might or might not happen around December 23.

I'll post updates on this storm as needed through Saturday, of course! 

No More Snow Days? Remote Work Has Many Schools Rethinking Winter Days Off

A snowstorm in New York City. The city's school chancellor
has announced there will be no more snow days/school closures 
during winter storms. Instead, they'll switch to remote ]
learning on stormy, cold days. 

 Just a disclaimer here. You will see many mentions in this post that many of you will consider a dirty four letter word that you're not ready for.

Ready? That word is "snow."  So let's get on with it:

The awful pandemic proved that you can get away with working and learning from home via technology. 

Which is prompting some school officials to commit what some kids might consider sacrilege. No more snow days. 

New York City, for one, has announced there will be no more snow days for schools during winter storms. Instead, there will be remote learning. No matter how bad the weather.

New York is joining other towns and cities that are scrapping, or thinking about scrapping winter snow days. 

As early as late autumn, 2020, nearly 40 percent of school districts in a survey were converting snow days to remote learning days, according to, Education Week. Many other school districts were considering it, according to Education Week. 

As David C. Banks, New York's Department of Education chancellor said, "So, sorry kids - no more snow days, but it's going to be good for you!"

I'm not so sure.  

On one hand, it makes sense to change snow days to remote learning days to some extent, but it's still disappointing. It's true that kids need all the education they can get, and by law, they have to be in school for a certain number of days per year. If there's too many snow days, school extends into the summer. 

On the other hand, remote learning isn't as good as in person learning.  That's especially true for families that can't afford decent technology. Or can't obtain or can't afford decent internet access. As we learned in the pandemic, remote learning is also incredibly disruptive to parents who have to work. Do they call in sick to monitor the kids at home? What if their employer doesn't offer sick days? Then they don't get paid. 

I get it that parents also have to watch the kids and miss work if there's a snow day.  I'm not a parent, but I honestly wonder if it's easier to just let the kids play in the snow rather than monitoring them to make sure they're engaged in online earning.  Any parents want to weight in on this for me? I could use the enlightenment. 

One school district in New Jersey told Education Week that they are keeping snow days as it's tradition, a normal rite of passage for kids.  And I agree with that. Even if that means all the kids who had the day off for a snowstorm end up on the sledding hill behind the school. 

I'm in favor of snow days over remote learning. Kids, like all of us, deserve an unexpected break from the routine. Big snowstorms are a nice departure from the usual weekly blah, blah, blah anyway, so why not make winter storms a bit special?